I started this card by playing around with these delicious watercolors. I used Deep Pink and a touch of Carmine Red to create the background on watercolor paper. The colors are so rich I found myself diluting them with more water to get softer shades.

While the background was drying I stamped the sassy bird on Tim Holtz Watercolor Card stock (smooth side) in VersaFine and painted her with the watercolors. The hat was stamped separately and painted with Distress Ink Fossilized Amber; the rose and the ribbon on the box with more red. (The rose, the ribbon, and the details on the bird were later highlighted with Kuretake’s Wink of Stella Pink and Dark Pink. Oh, how I Wink of Stella!)

I cut the watercolor paper to fit on a tan card, edged it with VersaMark and Judikins’ Egyptian Gold powder (love the sparkle!), and affixed it to the card front. For my last step, I die cut Technique Tuesday’s adorable *Heart Strings from gold paper scraps and glued them on top. How sweet is this card? Oh yeah … and I stamped the sentiment using *Stampin’ Up’s! Bloomin’ Love set. (You’ll see the coordinating die set used in my earlier Valentine cards here.) The sentiment is perfect for my “gal-entine” cards that went to my BFFs.)

This card started with the mess on my desk. I wanted to play with some new product from Faber-Castell and Ranger … and I wanted to make Valentine’s Day cards.

Here’s how it happened.

I started by playing with some Faber-Castell Gelatos (read more here, here and here). I rubbed some color on my craft sheet then spritzed with water to create a paint, which I spread on watercolor paper. I knew I wanted some texture, so I stamped it with Old Letter from Hero Arts:

Next step was to die cut the hearts (using an old Sizzix die):

I REALLY wanted to try the new Cracked Pistachio Distress Stain Spray from Ranger, so I masked a stripe along the edge of a piece of Ranger Watercolor cardstock. (I tore a long strip of low-tack painter’s tape to create the mask.)

You’ll notice there’s some background stamping goin’ on there, too. After I sprayed the card, it felt bland, so I used Wendy Vecchi’s Archival Watering Can and a Stampendous! stamp to add some interest.

Note that the stamp is a rectangle, but I didn’t want hard lines, so I inked just random portions.

Next, I needed a sentiment. I tried various inks and paints (including the new Cracked Pistachio Distress Paint) but finally went with the Watering Can grey for the contrast.

I edged the hearts with gold metallic marker and added some Doodlebug Designs sequins to finish the look. Thanks for stopping by!

Ah, sigh… it’s finally Valentine’s Day. I had so much fun making and sending Valentines to my girlfriends. My friends are heart-felt treasures and life would not be the same without them. When I looked at the big stack I had to send, I thought, “What a lucky girl am I.”

Enjoy the last ones ….

Most of these were fast and simple:

I adore this feather set from Close to my Heart! I could make a dozen of these cards, leave off the greeting, and have a stack ready for any occasion! The feathers were stamped on white card stock using various shades of mostly Hero Arts Shadow Inks and a blue Distress pad.

This, too, was fast and easy using the CTMH Oodles of Doodles set, Hero Arts inks and Hero Art hearts (embossed using American Crafts’ Zing powders). The pretty sequins are from Lawn Fawn.

And just to prove that crafting is not a perfect art, here’s one from my Imperfect Crafter side.
It’s actually cuter in person than it appears here. I needed ONE more Valentine, so I grabbed some leftovers on my desk. I’m showing this card because I always tell my workshop students that there are “no mistakes in crafting; only design elements.” So warts and all, here she is:

I was anxious to play with this tissue paper from Hazel & Ruby. And being the Impatient Crafter, as well as the Imperfect Crafter, I tore off a piece and glued it to my card base. I had a die cut heart that did not cut all the way through so I disguised the bad part with the Prima flowers. If you look VERY closely, you will see, peeking out from the upper left hand ventricle, part of the heart where it didn’t cut all the way through. But do we through anything away? Nope! We just carry on!

Thanks for bearing with me, and I hope everyone has a sweet Valentine somewhere. Have a fabulous Friday!

This card should really be a Fabulous Finds Friday because I love this new Stephanie Barnard banner die from Sizzix.
The background is made using a Tim Holtz embossing folder. And I’m sure you noticed my oopsie — the peek of a staple. Sigh.

Originally, I thought it would be cute to staple the banners on the top of my card, using my Tiny Stapler. But it looked too unfinished:

So I added a piece of ribbon. But it looks like one staple got the best of me. Oh, well. Warts and all, that’s what you get here.

This is a fun one made during a card making workshop at the Paper Source:

(Lousy photo — and taken of the wrong card!) In the original, the Hero Arts arrow background was gold embossed on white card stock. The Paper Source heart was punched with a heart punch then run through a Xyron. Stampendous! Gold Halo glitter was generously applied to the now sticky heart. A piece of red glitter paper was glued down on the card base and the glittered heart was placed so the red glitter showed through. The heart was placed using Therm O Web foam pop-ups.

Whew! Valentine’s Day is almost here… and I’ll have just a few last minute cards to show.
Thanks for sticking with me.

These Valentines are a bit of a departure for me. They started because I love the paper (from Basic Grey’s Out of Print collection) and was eager to use it.

Because these are two-sided papers, I cut a piece about a quarter of an inch larger than the normal front of my A2 card. I scored the top, then attached the small scored part to the back of a flat card. The hearts (Hero Arts) were embossed with American Crafts’ Zing Blush, Ranger Antique Claret, Ranger Antique Verdigris. Sentiment from Inkadinkado. Because the ribbon is so sheer I ran it through my Baby Xyron for adhesive.

Paper, sentiment, ribbon all from the vendors above. The chipboard butterfly is from my stash. I rubbed it Viva Décor Inca Gold (I love these creamy colorants) in Rose Quartz and Inca Gold (the only two colors I have. I think I need more.) I stamped the butterfly with a text background (Hero Arts) and added a few pearls. It’s a little hard to see, but I dotted the centers of the lace flowers with Viva Silver Pearl Pen.

About

Roberta is a writer by trade, a crafter by accident. She was a contributing writer with The Rubber Stamper Magazine since its inception and now holds the same position at Crafts 'n Things. Read more about her in the About Me column.